Thirty-six Tufts seniors applied for Fulbright Scholarships last month with the hopes of receiving year-long research or teaching grants. They are now waiting until late January to hear if they have moved on to the next round of competition.
Among research institutions nationwide, Tufts is one of the top producers of Fulbright grants for U.S. students, with a success rate of about one-third. Last year, 37 students applied and 13 received scholarships.
"We should be doing very well in Fulbright given the international signature of the university," Dean of Undergraduate Education James Glaser said.
While the number of Tufts Fulbright scholars reached a high point two years ago at 17, the number of applicants and recipients remains relatively constant from year to year, according to Director of Advising and Scholarship Programs Kate Nash.
About three-quarters of the Fulbright scholars at Tufts receive research grants to study in a foreign country; the rest receive teaching grants. Of the 36 applicants this year, 28 requested research grants.
Applications and scholarships encompass a range of countries across the globe. This year's hopefuls from Tufts applied for grants in countries such as Venezuela, South Africa and India; last year's scholars traveled to destinations including Sweden, Kazakhstan and Uruguay.
Rachel Brandenburg (LA'05) went to Israel last year to study at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She studied Arabic and looked at different Israeli-Palestinian conflict resolution initiatives.
"It's a great opportunity that anyone should apply for," she said.
The scholarship process starts in early September when Fulbright candidates submit their completed applications to a faculty committee which reviews each student's submission and provides feedback after an interview process.
All applicants submit their reworked proposals to the U.S. Fulbright Organization in New York. The applications are sorted based on the countries in which the research would be done and the most competitive submissions are forwarded to committees in the respective nations.
The organizations in these countries make the final decisions and notify scholarship recipients between late March and June. Students find out if they are finalists before then, in January.
Different countries use different quotas and criteria when selecting Fulbright recipients, but having connections is always helpful.
"The most important part of the application is to have contacts in the country," Nash said.
Some students network through faculty members while others have formed contacts by studying abroad in the countries to which they are applying. Applicants can also gain experience through the programs such as Summer Scholars and through senior theses.
Senior Jessica Anderson, who applied for a Fulbright scholarship this year to study gender and post-conflict disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) in Northern Uganda, agreed.
"My experience at Tufts, and especially with the [Institute for Global Leadership], has definitely prepared me for this scholarship," she said in an e-mail.
Nash recommended that interested students begin thinking about their Fulbright application during the second semester of their junior year.
"The most successful applicants that we [get] have pretty strong proposals when they get to the internal deadline in early September," she said.
Glaser encouraged students to apply.
"When you are right out of college, you are liberated in a way that you are not later in life," he said. "It's a wonderful opportunity."
